The DA’s Helen Zille is ready to relinquish her national position as the party’s federal council chair should she be nominated and elected Johannesburg mayor.
Zille told TimesLIVE Premium on Wednesday that she would not be able to do both jobs after the local government elections next year. She believes the role of Johannesburg mayor, should she get it, would be a full-time job.
Zille is currently serving her second term as the DA federal council chair, a position similar to that of secretary-general in the ANC, and was expected to stand for another term — or at least another position in the higher echelons of her party’s leadership — when the DA holds its congress next year.
However, she has now decided that she would prioritise the mayorship of the Gauteng metro over the national role.
“No, I will definitely not be able to do both. If I get the nomination from the DA (by no means certain) and if I get elected, being mayor of Johannesburg would be a ‘whole time’ job,” Zille told TimesLIVE Premium.
Her interest in a position at local government means she would lose her influential role at the party’s national level.
With the DA currently in a government of national unity , possibly until the next national and provincial elections in 2029, this means she would be left out of the critical meetings of the coalition should she be elected mayor.
This could also mean that Zille is so comfortable with the next layer of DA leadership that she is willing to forgo the much influential national role she currently holds.
Zille made headlines this week with reports that she has expressed interest in running for the coveted mayorship of Johannesburg, one of the richest cities in Africa.
Her interest in the position has seemingly raised the ire of many, especially in the ANC, with concerns about what this means for current mayor Dada Morero.
Morero poured cold water on the DA’s move, questioning whether the DA believed in its current leadership in the city’s ranks, saying the announcement casts doubt on their councillors.
“The DA made that statement knowing that they’ve got leadership in Johannesburg. The problem could be with the DA acknowledging and recognising their own people in the city.”
The Daily Maverick this week reported that Zille decided to make herself available after three high-profile individuals turned down the offer to become the DA’s candidate.
It appears the DA believes it needs to field a high-profile candidate with a national footprint to successfully contest the Johannesburg mayoral chain.
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